On this 1998 release,
Flipside seems to seek answers to some intriguing questions: How would the early
Weather Report sound today with a cool-toned guitarist instead of
Joe Zawinul's keyboards? What would the mid-'60s
Miles Davis group have been like with
George Benson as a regular member, rather than as simply a guest on a few tracks? In exploring scenarios such as these,
Flipside reveals a world rich in possibilities remaining to be discovered. While its name suggests otherwise, this quartet of two New Zealanders, a Parisian, and an Ulster man is serious about making music that matters. The group's accessible sound is an effective study in contrasts and tension, where a dry, at times cerebral, approach is constantly set ablaze by the subtle fury of Belfast-born drummer
Darren Beckett. Paired with
Beckett in the rhythm section, bassist
Matt Penman announces himself as a force to be reckoned with, especially during a thundering, walking bass duet with
Beckett on guitarist
Greg Tuohey's "Stretch." The moment is pure adrenaline.
Penman also wrote four of the eight originals that make up the CD. The quartet's quieter side comes through in the gentle jazz waltz of saxophonist Jérôme Sabbagh's "Numéro 6," in
Penman's reflective "The Muses," and in
Tuohey's ballad "Nude." Even in these more subdued moments, the vigorous jazz pulse always percolating within is a particularly appealing facet of
Flipside. For listeners who have ever pondered "what if?" about certain avenues of contemporary jazz left untraveled or abandoned too quickly,
Flipside has found some answers of its own, and they make for potent music.